What's up Steemians?!
Tonight a got a very special review of a fan favorite of Rotterdamers everywhere, the Carrie - Strong IPA. This beer is produced by none other than Kaapse Brouwers, what is considered by yours truly to be the best brewery in this city. What we got here is an IPA with no compromises and whose taste you WILL remember for a long time, it is one of my favorite IPA's by far. This beer is available in most supermarkets in the Netherlands but it is especially delicious if you are able to score one directly from the tap, which can easily be done either at Kaapse Maria in city center or at the Kaapse Browers in Fenix Food Factory. For this review, I will be trying out the bottled version which I grabbed at the nearest market. Lesgo!
Carrie is a beautiful name and is also an IPA beer with 6.5% abv, bitterness of 39 EBU and EBC 57 color. The hops of choice were Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo and Chinook for bittering/flavour, plus Amarillo and Cascade for dry hopping. In specs this beer should pack a big punch of flavor and bitterness, but what does it deliver?
The Color is a deep amber tone and the head is extremely tall, as I could not pour the beer at a right angle to the glass without filling the whole thing with foam. I generally like to pour at a right angle to get the CO2 flowing and well released and before I drink. The carbonation was medium/high and adequate for this style. The aroma is floral, grassy and with strong scents of passion fruit and orange peels. Very complex and well balanced, but you can already feel that this is going to be a bitter beer before you even drink it.
The first notes that reach your palate are apricot jam and a hint of vanilla, followed by some orange bitters. This is a very bitter and dry beer to the taste, I've had a 1000 EBU (calculated) beer in Brazil that tasted less bitter than this, but you know what, the floral aroma totally blends with that bitterness to make a very complex and amazing flavor. The body is full and intense with malts, but weakens away quickly.
The finish is grassy and bitter, with noticeable alcohol, similar to that of a 9% Imperial IPA but without as much lingering malt flavors. One key word here again is Balance... The finish, like the body and aroma, are all in balance with what is proposed by the beer - impact all your senses. At this stage, you will probably be staring at an empty glass thinking: "I have to try this again, right after I eat something delicious" - yes, this beer was just made to be paired with food.
So what's keeping you from picking one up and having drink? Thursday is already here!
Have a good one, Cheers!
